SC orders PM to present report of APS attack case
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ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the Prime Minister Imran Khan to submit a signed report in the court regarding work being done by his government in Army Public School (APS) attack case.
Appearing before the Supreme Court bench, the Prime Minister Imran Khan briefed the progress made in APS attack case, in which a total of 147 people, 132 of them children, were martyred when Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants stormed the APS-Warsak School, in Peshawar, in 2014.
The government is in talks with the TTP over a “reconciliation process”, with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry having announced on Monday that a “complete ceasefire” had been reached with the banned outfit.
A three-judge bench — headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, and comprising Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin Ahmed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan — had summoned the Prime Minister around 10am. He arrived at the court roughly two hours later, just before noon.
The hearing resumed with the Prime Minister present in courtroom No. 1 along with a number of lawyers, security personnel and families of APS attack victims and PTI ministers, including Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Fawad Chaudhry.
“The satisfaction of the parents (who lost their children in the APS attack) is necessary,” said Justice Ahsan addressing the premier.
The apex court adjourned the hearing for four weeks, directing the government to submit a progress report within that time.
Earlier today, during the last hearing, the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, had directed the attorney general to inform the court about the steps taken by the government to redress the grievances of the parents of children martyred in the attack on APS on Dec 16, 2014.
In today’s hearing, the chief justice asked Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan whether the prime minister had read the court’s order in which he had directed the AG to take action on the complaints of the victims’ parents.
At the last hearing, the chief justice had assured the parents of the victims of the court’s assistance in their efforts for acceptance of their demands.
“The AG has been put on notice on the complaints and asked to take action, as required by the law, and if those who have been named are found guilty of negligence in the performance of their duties, necessary measures should be taken,” an order dictated by the chief justice said.
The court emphasised that unless some drastic efforts were made, the petitioners would not be satisfied.
During the proceedings today, the AG informed the court that the order had not been sent to the premier, adding that he would inform PM Imran about it.
“Is this the level of seriousness?” CJP Ahmed asked. “Call the prime minister, we will talk to him ourselves. This cannot go on.”
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